Initialed buckle, plate, and the like



A. POLLAK.

INITIALED BUCKLE, PLATE, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATEON FILED AUG18,1922.

Patented De@.12,1922;

LASS.,

Patented Dec. l2, 1922,

rNrrrnLnn BUCKLE, PLATE, 'AND 'THE LIKE.

stares 1u roLLAK, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

Application led August 18, 1922. Serial No. 582,656.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ABRAHAM PoLLAK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Initialed Buckles, Plates, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates more particularly to certain novel features of construction pertaining to the face-plate of a buckle or other article and initial letters or the like to be applied thereto, whereby the letters may be pressed in position from the back of the face-plate and there held without the aid of clamping plates and other extra devices at present in use for securing initials on i buckles. In accordance with my invention the initial letters may be carried in stock and denote any or all of the letters of the alphabet, and in any suitable combination or grouping these letters may be forced into position in the opening in the face-plate with a snap or spring elfect and be securely held by their engagement with the' face plate of the buckle or thelike. A further important feature of my invention resides in the provision at the upper and lower ends of the letters of certain bars which aid in securing the letters in place and also abutv against one another in series at their ends and serve, in addition to other duties, to accurately space the letters apart.

My invention is applicable to the initialing of belt buckles, belt pins, initial plates for automobiles and other plates to which it may be desired to apply initial letters or numbers or emblems or combinations thereof. The features of my invention are applicable alike to letters, numbers and other emblems, and in any use thereof the letters, numbers or emblems will be snapped into position across the opening in the plate.

rlhe present invention involves a further development or improvement relating to my invention made the subject of Letters Patent No. 1,430,682 granted to me @ctober 3, 1922, and resides more particularly in the construction of the bars at the upper and lower ends of the letters and in the coacting edges of the slot formed inthe face plate of the buckle.

The invention will be fully .understood from the detailed description hereinafter Flg. 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionon a larger scale, through the buckle, taken on the dot.

ted line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a corresponding section, partly 'the same, taken on the dotted line 2-2 of broken away, on a still larger scale, through the same Fig. 5 is a vertical section corresponding` with the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. l and on an enlarged scale, through one of the initials of the buckle, Fig. 5v illustrating the initial in its primary flat condition and prior to being arched or bowed forwardly by its applicatilon to position in the slot ofthe buckle, an

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the initial represented in Fig. 5. L In the drawings, 10 designates a portion of a belt of ordinary character and 11 a buckle thereon (embodying my invention, said buckle being of any usual or suitable construction except as to the features of the face-plate 12 and initial letters 13 which embody my invention.

rlhe face-plate 12 has formedvtherein a rectangular opening or slot 14, around which said plate constitutes a frame,which may.

be plain or embellished as may be desired. The edges of the plate 12 at the top and bottom of the opening or slot 14 are beveled inwardly or toward the rearon converging lines, as at 15, the bevel at the upper edge of the slot 14 inclining downwardly and in- 'wardly and the bevel at .the lower edgel of said slot inclining upwardly and inwardly,

as shown in Fig. 4, and in other respects the plate 12 is or may be of ordinary construction. The plate 1 2 when used on a buckle will be bowed or arched forwardly so aste presenta convex outer surface, as `shown in The initials 13 shown denote H and S, respectively, but said initials are representative only, since this feature all the letters of the alphabet and also, whenever desired, numbers` to be used'wth or as substitutes 91 the letters. li

l propose to providefor` have shown a group of two initial letters, but the invention is not limited to the use of two initials, since without departure from, or modication of, my invention any appropriate number of letters may be made use of.

rThe letters, numbered 13, are alike with respect to the novel features of my invention, and these letters are each in one 1n- V'tegral piece of material, preferably sheet steel, silver or gold, and of skeleton formation, and each letter is formed at its upper and'lower. ends-with horizontal spacingbars 16 which are of special character and utility. rlhe letters 13 are odset frontwardly from the bars 16 and at their upper and lower ends are integral with danges 17 constituting integral portions of said bars and forming angular recesses 18 -to snugly engage the beveled edges 15 at the upper and lower sides of the slot 14. rlhe bars 16 have a body portion to tit against the inner face of the front plate 12, as shown in Fig. 4, and the flanged portions 17 which carry the letters 13 are pressed into the slot 14 of the front plate 12; normally the letter with its bars 16 and a-nges 17 is greater in -height .t at said Hanges than the slot 14 in the front plate 12, and hence when pressure is applied to the letter at its rear sides to force the letter into the slot 14, the letter becomes convexed frontwardly and the Hanges 17 approach one another suHiciently to enter the slot 14 and engage the beveled edges 15 of said slot. The bars 16 extend upwardly and downwardly beyond the legs of the letter 13 and also extend laterally beyond the bodyvportion of said letter so as to project at opposite sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 6, and said bars and flanges connect Athe legs of the letters when said letters have legs, as shown.

When the letter has no legs, as those present for illustration in H, the bars 16 and flanges 17 will be integral with and extend along and beyond the upper and lower edges of the letter, as represented in connection with the letter S in Fig. 1. The flanges 17 are angularly disposed and joined to the bars 16 throughout the entire length thereof. this construction resulting in the let-ters being very durableand firmly held. rllhe fact that the flanges 17- extend beyond the vertical planes of the side edges of the letters is ofv considerable importance in that with such construction the adjoining ends of said flanges, when the letters are assembled, may abut against each other at the upper and lower edges of the slot 14 and keep the letters properly spaced apart. A further important purpose accomplished by the extension of the anges 17 beyond the vertical planes of the edges of the letters is that for the end letters of a group said flanges will engage the. end edges of the slot 14, and thereby ald 1n keeping the letters properly Maaate positioned within the slot, whereas inthe-absence of said project-ing portions of the flanges 17 a letter, such as the letter S (looking at Fig. l) might slide from engagement with the letter H and only become arrested `when the rightl hand edge of the letter S becomes resisted by the right hand edge of the slot 14. lf the flanges; 17 should not project laterally beyond the vertical planes ofthe edges of the letters, and only the body portion of the bars 16 engaging the rear face of the plate 12 were made use of, said bars, while spacing a group of letters apart, would not prevent the end letters from sliding against the vertical end edges of the slot 14, and to prevent this movement of said end letters, is one of the purposes of the present invention.`

1 regard the flanges 17 connecting the legs of the letters,fas shown in Fig. 6, as of particular importance in adding strength to the letters. rl`he angular flanges 17 and beveled edges 15 of the plate 12 serve to efficiently engage the letters with said plate, and when said letters are by pressure applied to their rear faces, pushed into t-he slot- 14, said letters become arched, as shown in Fig. 4. and can only with destructive force applied to their front faces, be pushed out of said slot- One aim of my invention is to provide a buckle having the inserta-ble letters which will be of very durable character and in which the vletters will resist such pressure as might be exerted against them by a person leaning against some object at the front of the lette-rs.

It may be noted on reference to Fig. 6 that ,the legs of the letter extend to the upper and lower edges of the flanges 17, and that hence t-he letters extend the full height of the slot 14, and this is preferable in thatv the letters are permitted to have their maximumheight in proportion to the slot 14.

It. is intended that the initial letters 13 shall be carried in stock and applied to the buckle 11 or the like in accordance with the wishes of a purchaser. lVhen the pur- Chaser has selected the initials he desires for thebuckle, the dealer will .apply those initials to the buckle. and in doing so will, by pressure. at the back of the letters, snap the same through the opening 14 so that the outlines of the letters will appear at the front of the buckle, while the body portions of the bars 16 will engage the rear face of the plate 12 and the flanges 17 will engage the beveled edges 15 of the opening 14. The body portion of the bar 16 prevents the let-- ters from being pushed entirely through the opening 14. and they also serve as spacing b ars for the letters. The Hanges 17 also serve as spacing means in addition to strengthening the letters andeeiently engaging the upper and lowe'r edges of the opening 14. The letters 13 will vary in Leases@ vof construction described, since some of these details may be modilied within the spirit of myrinvention and the scope of the appended claims. l employ the word initials in the claims in a generic sense, meaning thereby letters, numbers, or other emi5 b1 ems. What l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A plate having an opening in the face thereof and an initial applied thereto, said initial being adapted for exposure at said` opening and to be directly sprung into position thereat, said opening having opposite inwardly converging beveled edges, and said initial having at its opposite ends bar members to engage the back of said plate and angular anges to interlock with said beveled edges andI extending laterally beyond v the vertical planes of the outer edges of the initial and lying within said opening.

' 2. A plate having an opening in the face thereof and an initial applied thereto, said initial being adapted for exposure at said opening and to be directly sprung into posiltion thereat, said opening having opposite inwardly converging beveled edges, and said initial having at its opposite ends bar members to engage the back of said plate and angular flan es to interlock with said beveled edges an extending laterally beyond the vertical planes of the outer edges of the initial and` lying within said opening, said` flanges integrally connecting the ends of the leg members of the initial'within the said opening when the initial has leg members, as are present in the letter H and at the lower end of the letter A.

3. A plate having an opening in the face thereof and an initial applied thereto, said initial originally being greater in height than said opening and adapted to be directly sprung into said opening, whereby said initial becomes convexed forwardly, said 1nitial having at its oppositeends bar merri-4 bers toengage the back of said plate and anges to interlock with the edges of said opening for securing the initial in place and said anges being extended laterally beyond the vertical planes of the outer edges of said initial and lying within said opening.

4C. A plate having an opening in the face thereof and an initial applied thereto, said initial originally being greater in height than said opening and adapted to be di rectly sprung into said opening, whereby said, initial' becomes convexed forends bar members to engage the back of said plate and flanges to interlock with the edges of saidvopening for securing the initial in place and said flanges being extended laterally beyond the vertical planes of the outer edges of said initial and lying with-in said opening, and said flanges integrally connecting the ends of the leg members of the initial within said opening when the initial has leg members, such as are present in the letter H and at the lower end of the letter EL 5. A plate having an opening in the face thereof and initials applied thereto, said initials being adapted for exposure at said opening and to be directly sprung thereinto, and said initials having at their upper and lower ends bar members to engage the back of said plateand flanges to interlockl with said plate at the opposite edges of said opening, said llanges being extended laterally beyond the vertical planes of the outer edges of the initials and lying within said opening and also adapted at their contiguous ends to abut against one another and thereby maintain the initials properly spaced apart. f

6. A platehaving an opening in the face thereof, and initials applied thereto, said initials being adapted for exposure at said opening and to be directly sprung thereinto,

lower ends bar members to engage the back of said plate and flanges to interlock with said plate at the opposite edges of said opening, said flanges being extended laterally beyond the vertical planes of the outer edges of vthe initials and lying within said openin and also adapted at their contiguous ens to abut against one another and thereby maintain the initials properly spaced apart, and said flanges integrallyl connecting the ends of the leg members of the initial within said opening when the initial has leg letter H ter Afl 7. A plate havin an opening in the face thereof vand initials applied thereto, said initials originally being greater in height than said opening and'adapted to be directly sprung thereinto, whereby said initials become convexed forwardly, and said initials having at their upper and lower ends bar members to engage the back of said plate and flanges-to interlock with said plate at and at the lower end of the letthe opposite edges of said opening, said also adapted at their contiguous ends tov abut against one another and thereby maintain the initials properly spaced apart.

members, such as are present in the 8. A platehaving anl opening in the face thereof end applied thereto, seid initials originally being greater in height th said opening and adapted to be directly sprung thereintlo, whereby said initials become convexed forwardly, and seid initinls having at their upper and lower ends ber members to engage the back of seid plete and anges to interlock with seid plete et the opposite edges 'ofseid 11|.; seid flanges being extended leterally beyond the vertical planes of the oter edges of the initials and lying within said opening and else ineens@ adapted et their ycontiguous ends to abut egeinst one another end thereby maiintein the initials properly spaced apart, and said a-nges integrallyconneeting the ends of the leg members of the initial within said opening when the initial has leg members, such es ere present in the letter H and at the lower end of the letter A.

Signed et New York city, in the county of New York and Stete of New York, this llth dey of August, Ar D., 1922.

ABRAHAM POLLAK. 

